Trauma hurts. It can be sudden, life-altering and overwhelming, or chronic, subtle and nearly unnoticeable, but either way it can change the way we think about others, the world, and ourselves. Dealing with the aftermath—changes in our relationships, lashing out toward self or others, feeling nothing and/or everything all at once—is sometimes as hard as the initial event, especially when society, friends and family and our own minds tell us to “just get over it.” Worse, sometimes we aren’t even sure where the trauma came from in the first place, leaving us confused and even feeling hopeless. If you could just “get over it,” you would, but sometimes the brain simply cannot process traumatic events without help, and this is why trauma therapy exists. :) I practice EMDR Therapy, which is designed to help you to first gain the skills needed to process and adapt to traumatic memories, and then allow you to do so in a safe environment. Trauma doesn’t have to ruin (or run) your life.